There is a good deal of mystery about the

affair, but it seems that Blount was pulling two wires, that he was interested in Chisholm's scheme as well as

his own project with Romayne, and intended to support either plan that promised success.

CHAPTER II

BRITISH AND FRENCH INTEREST IN LOUISIANA

Spain's comparative weak hold on Louisiana

led Great Britain and France to regard the political

destiny of the Mississippi Valley as uncertain and unde1

termined. Both nations, therefore, contemplated ac

quisition of that region. England's interest in the Mississippi Valley centered about two plans of action, alliance with the settlers, and an expedition against the Spanish-American possessions. From the time of the Revolution, England with a strong hold on the Lakes, and a dominant influence over the Northern Indians, keenly watched for an opportunity to assist the frontiersmen to separate from the Union, and to extend protection over the Mississippi Valley settlers. In 1789, Lord Dorchester, Governor General of Canada, was instructed con

2

1. Frederick J. Turner, "The Significance of the Mississippi Valley in American History", in Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, III (1909), p. 166.

2. Ibid., p. 167.